Bengal cattle smuggling case: TMC leader Anubrata Mandal moves Delhi HC for bail

New Delhi [India], January 30 (ANI): Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Anubrata Mandal has moved the Delhi High Court seeking default bail in an Enforcement Directorate (ED) case related to cattle smuggling in West Bengal.
Anubrata Mandal's default bail plea was recently dismissed by the trial court.
The bench of Justice DK Sharma is scheduled to hear the bail petition on Tuesday. The bail plea has been moved through advocate Mudit Jain in the High Court.
Trinamool Congress party's president of Birbhum district Anubrata Mandal is said to be a close aide of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and he was earlier arrested by the CBI in connection with the same case on July 11.
Recently ED arrested him in the alleged multi-crore cattle smuggling scam after questioning him inside the Asansol jail where he was lodged.
In the case, the court earlier noted that this case of ED is based upon the Scheduled Offence (CBI case), the proceedings of which are going on there at Asansol, West Bengal in a CBI Court and some accused have been running into Judicial custody in connection with those proceedings of the CBI case.
During Sehegal Hussain's (another accused) hearing, the ED had agitated that sources for funding immovable and movable assets acquired by the accused are to be ascertained. For that purpose, the accused is required to be confronted with certain other persons including his close relation so as to trace the trails of tainted money which allegedly runs into crores of rupees.
In April last year, the trial court had taken cognizance of a charge sheet filed by ED against other accused naming former Trinamool Congress youth wing leader Vinay Mishra, his brother Vikas Mishra and Mohammad Enamul Haque, the alleged kingpin of a cattle smuggling racket across India-Bangladesh border.
The trial Court noted that the prosecution complaint (Chargesheet) had been filed by the ED under Sections 44 and 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 for the commission of an offence under Sections 3 and 70 of PMLA punishable under Section 4 of PMLA.
The Trial Court judge while taking cognizance of the ED Charge sheet, said that he had gone through the complaint and the accompanying documents and there was sufficient material to proceed against the accused. Accordingly, the cognizance of the offence under Sections 3 and 70 PMLA punishable under Section 4 PMLA was taken. (ANI)